In an effort to help reduce the number of children suffering from painful oral disease, the Kids’ Healthy Mouths campaign, a joint effort between The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives and the Ad Council, announce National Brush Day™ to reinforce the importance of kids’ oral health the day after Halloween.
“The day after Halloween, a sugar-filled holiday, is a perfect time to remind parents and kids of the importance of adopting good habits for healthy teeth,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “The Kids’ Healthy Mouths campaign aims to make teeth-brushing time fun with myriad interactive tools and resources.”
To take part in National Brush Day, parents and caregivers can sign a pledge to make sure their kids brush their teeth for 2 minutes, twice a day and join the new Kids’ Healthy Mouths communities on Facebook and Twitter (@brush2min2x).
The Kids’ Healthy Mouths campaign has a host of tips, tricks, and resources available at its website, 2min2x.org, including entertaining 2-minute video clips to enjoy during the 2-minute brushing time. The videos feature childhood favorites, such as characters from Sesame Street and Cartoon Network.
National Brush Day is a new initiative on behalf of the successful Kids’ Healthy Mouths campaign launched in August 2012. Since its unveiling, more than 1.5 million people have visited 2min2x.org and the PSAs have received more than $33 million in donated media across TV, radio, print, web, and outdoor outlets. Additionally, a 2013 Ad Council survey shows that in 1 year, English-speaking parents report that their children are 7% more likely to brush twice a day and 4% more likely to brush for 2 minutes each time. Spanish-speaking parents report significant improvement as well, with 8% more kids brushing for 2 minutes, twice a day.
Additionally, next month the Kids’ Healthy Mouths campaign will launch a new mobile game, “Toothsavers,” as another way to make the 2-minute brushing time fun and interactive. In the game, kids will be able to rescue classic fairy tale characters from a tooth-rotting curse and become heroes with the help of their toothbrushes. The game will be available for Android and Apple tablets and phones.
For more information about the Kids’ Healthy Mouths campaign, visit 2min2x.org and follow the campaign’s new social profiles on Facebook and Twitter (@brush2min2x).
